The Tournament
by RainyMittens
Summary: It's the day before the big fight with Gaius...but instead, Jude and co. end up fighting in Xian Du's latest coliseum tournament. Pairing up to take on wave after wave of challenges, how will our intrepid adventurers fare when pitted against each other? Add some familiar faces to the mix and we have a full-out melee on our hands...
1. Chapter 1

Somehow, it always seemed like they ended up in Xian Du. Which was fine, Jude thought, because it was a pretty nice city after all, but still. The world wasn't about to save itself. He had to admit that it was nice to catch a break after all that travelling through temporal rifts, and after visiting his parents one last time, he felt readier than ever to go face Gaius. They would set off tomorrow, he vowed to himself. But for now...

Jude looked up from the book he was failing to read, glancing around the room at his companions. Leia was sitting on the floor with Elize, teaching her how to play jacks. Rowen was sitting at the desk, writing a letter—probably to Driselle. And there was Milla, sitting cross-legged on the bed with her hands relaxed on her thighs, deep in meditation. Her hair fluttered gently in the wind coming in from the window, and Jude couldn't help but smile to himself. Then his brow furrowed. He glanced around again. Where was Alvin? Jude sighed. Not again...

He returned to his book with a frown. Old habits died hard, he supposed, and after everything that had happened with Isla over the last few days, the mercenary had a right to some alone time. But how on Rieze Maxia was he supposed to make his way back into everyone's good graces if he kept acting as suspiciously as he always used to?

Jude shook his head. There he went, off on a tangent of worrying...he tried to put it firmly aside, concentrating on the letters on the page. For a while he succeeded, before he came upon a passage mentioning Maxwell and his mind turned inexorably to Milla. What was going to happen to her? Would she still be here, when it was all over? Either way, it had to be done, but...

His thoughts were interrupted by the door slamming open noisily and Alvin striding in.

"Hey, folks, you're all looking lively this evening," he greeted cheerfully.

Elize and Leia clamboured to their feet. "And just where the heck have you been?" Leia asked, hands on her hips.

"You better not have been doing anything weird!" Said Teepo, mirroring Elize's suspicious expression.

Alvin threw up his hands in surrender. "Ouch, hey, where's the love? I wasn't up to anything this time, honest truth!"

Leia didn't look convinced. "Oh yeah? Then what _were _you up to, Mr. Truthful?"

Alvin sighed theatrically and shook his head. "Just taking a look around the town, seeing what's going on. There's a big tournament on at the Coliseum tomorrow, what do you say we all join in?"

Jude stood up. "What? But we have to leave tomorrow!"

Alvin crossed the room to sling an arm over Jude's shoulders. "C'mon, kid, don't be a wet blanket. What's one more day? How about the old man and the kid, don't you think we've been running them a little too ragged lately?"

Jude made a frustrated noise. Yeah, it was true, probably everyone could use some extra rest. His inner med student was calculating how many hours of sleep they'd averaged over the last few weeks and coming up too short for healthy. "Well...I..."

Over by the door, Leia was twisting her foot and looking thoughtful. "Well, we are running low on supplies...it's not like a little extra gald ever hurt," she said. "Plus, wouldn't it be kind of fun? We never do any fun stuff these days."

Rowen nodded sagely. "Indeed, a competition might offer us a valuable opportunity to evauate our skills without risking our lives. It would be well worth considering."

Jude sighed, shrugging off Alvin's arm and crossing his own. "Come on, we're always fighting. Now you want to do it for fun? Can't we find something a little less violent to do together?"

Milla, who had been silent up until then, spoke. "No, I agree with Rowen. This may be a good chance to prepare ourselves for the battle ahead."

Jude turned to her in surprise. She had barely moved an inch other than to open her eyes, her expression, as usual, showing not even a hint of hesitation. Jude doubted he'd get any support there, and his arms dropped to his sides in defeat. "Okay, then. One more day couldn't hurt...I guess," he conceded reluctantly.

Alvin clapped him on the back and laughed. "Atta boy! And oh yeah, forgot to mention. It's a two day tournament."

Jude sighed.

"What are the prizes, anyway?" asked Leia.

"Prize money, like usual." Alvin shrugged. "And, I heard, two tickets for a wyvern ride around the Mon Highlands. Plus, you know. Some other stuff."

"Other stuff?" said Jude skepticallly.

"Yup."

"A wyvern ride? Whoa!" exclaimed Leia, interrupting any further questioning. "Now I really want to enter!"

"As I recall, you were holding on rather tightly the last time we went riding on wyverns," said Rowen. He chuckled. "A young lady, gripping the back of one's jacket as if holding on for dear life...it was enough to make even this geezer's heart race."

"But in the end, it was really cool. At least until we got attacked by that huge thing," said Leia, tapping a finger to her chin in thought.

"Um, what kind of tournament is it going to be?" asked Elize, clutching Teepo to her chest.

"Doubles," said Alvin. "Two on two. Works out perfect for us, huh?"

"Are you proposing that we enter as three teams of two?" said Rowen.

Alvin shrugged. "Sure, why not. It triples the odds of us winning."

"Is that really fair, though?" Jude wondered aloud.

"Don't be a spoilsport, Jude," cried Leia, suddenly looking all fired up. "As long as we're not throwing matches or anything, who cares if we split the prize!"

"So we're all agreed to enter?" said Milla, surveying the room. "Good."

"Now we gotta decide the teams!" gushed Leia.

Jude couldn't help it. His eyes went to Milla immediately. Would it be too forward to ask her outright to partner up? What if she wanted to team up with someone else? He glanced away, feeling his cheeks flush. Somehow he'd been able to find the resolve to fight Gaius, but he couldn't even manage this? It was ridiculous.

And like so many times before, Milla cut through his hesitation in an instant. "Jude, would you like to fight with me?" she asked, before anyone else could speak.

His attention snapped back to her. "Y-yes! I mean, sure."

Milla smiled. "Excellent."

Jude's heart fluttered, but the moment was broken by Leia's cry of "All right then!" She marched across the room and grabbed Rowen's hand. "Rowen, you're the super unbeatable Conductor, right? You'll team up with me, won't you?" she said sweetly.

Rowen placed his other hand on top of hers and gave a slight bow. "Miss Leia, I would be honored to fight alongside you."

Leia leapt back and pumped her fist in the air excitedly. "All right! There's no way we're going to lose!"

Himself and Milla, Leia and Rowen, Jude thought, so that meant...

"Looks like you're stuck with me, kid," said Alvin, running a hand through his hair.

Teepo floated out of Elize's arms and began flying in circles around Alvin's head. "We're teaming up with the liar, we're teaming up with the liar," he sang.

Alvin swatted at the doll halfheartedly. "Yeah, yeah. I know. I'm not really anyone's first choice."

"That's okay, Elize doesn't mind!" said Teepo cheerfully.

Elize jumped to her feet. "Teepo!" she scolded, blushing faintly.

Jude laughed, relieved that the teams had sorted themselves out so easily. He turned to Alvin. "So should we go sign up?"

With his characteristic lopsided grin, Alvin threw a mock salute his way. "No worries, I already talked with the organizer. All we have to do is show up."

Elize puffed her cheeks out angrily. "You're being sneaky again," she accused.

"Hey, if you said no, all I would have had to do was walk back over and cancel," Alvin said.

Elize ducked her head, apparently mollified by this answer. Across the room Jude spotted Leia grabbing her staff from against the wall and letting loose a few experimental swings, wearing a look of concentration that Jude knew all too well. He sighed. Ever since a patron of her parents' inn had let slip that Master Sonia had won a few battles in the Coliseum in her time, Leia's enthusiasm about fighting in the battles there had reached almost tangible levels.

"Miss Leia...perhaps this isn't the best place to practice your combat abilities," Rowen said diplomatically, as her staff narrowly avoided colliding with a wall-lamp.

"Huh?" she said, pausing mid-swing and lowering her staff sheepishly. "Oh yeah, I guess I should probably go outside..." suddenly, her eyes went wide. _She's got an idea,_ Jude thought, just before she exclaimed, "I've got it! We can go up to one of those rooftop plaza places and do some secret strategizing!"

"Er, well, I was going to finish writing this letter," said Rowen, rather taken aback at this outburst.

"You can finish that later. C'mon, it's getting late, and we need to come up with a plan of attack!"

Not even Rowen could say no to Leia's forceful enthusiasm, it seemed. The older man sighed and put the unfinished letter aside. "Very well. Would you care to lead the way, Miss Leia?"

"Heck yeah!" she said, throwing open the door. "Let's go!"

"Huh," said Alvin, after they had gone. "Not looking forward to facing down _that _in the arena."

"Tell me about it," said Jude wryly.

"Well, I really only dropped by to tell all of you about the tournament, so if you don't mind I'll be taking off again," said Alvin, moving towards the door.

"W-wait," said Elize, clutching Teepo. "Can I come with you?"

Alvin paused, surprise flickering across his face. Finally, he shrugged. "Whatever you want, kid."

Elize nodded, turning to Milla and Jude to wave goodbye before hurrying out the door after him.

The room suddenly felt much smaller, despite the dramatic decrease in its occupants. The only ones left were Jude and Milla, who unfolded her legs from under her and moved to sit on the side of the bed, her expression thoughtful.

"Is something on your mind?" asked Jude.

"This tournament...this is something you humans do for fun, yes?"

Jude scratched his head. "Well, yes...but it's not really a normal thing to do for fun."

"What do you mean?" Milla asked.

"Normally we just play games. Or go out, I guess."

Milla nodded. "The children in Nia Khera often played games. But I'm not sure I fully understand what 'going out' entails."

Jude found himself, not for the first time since the start of their journey, struggling to explain a concept so universal that it defied description. "Well...it's doing things like going out for dinner, or taking a walk, or going shopping."

"Ah, yes. I went shopping in Sharilton with Elize and Driselle, once. It was an enjoyable experience."

"Yeah. Having fun is really just enjoying yourself. It doesn't really matter what you're doing. Even just talking can be fun."

Milla inclined her head. "Is this conversation we're having 'fun', then?"

It was a surprisingly difficult question to answer. "Are you enjoying it?" he asked in return.

Milla closed her eyes in thought. "Yes," she said. "I do enjoy talking to you, Jude."

He could feel his face heating up. "I—I like talking to you too, Milla."

"Is that so? I'm glad. I know this isn't part of my mission, but I wanted to experience fun with you all before this is over," said Milla, smiling gently.

A heavy weight seemed to press down on Jude's chest. _Before this is over._ "But didn't we have a lot of fun times along the way?" he said, in an effort to lighten the mood. He racked his brain for a happy memory. "Remember the time we had to chase a rappig all around the Mon Highlands?"

"Yes, I remember. Elize tripped into a snowbank and you had to dig her out," Milla said.

"I think it was the only time I've seen Alvin take off his coat aside from going to sleep," said Jude. "It was practically a blanket on her."

"I seem to recall an incident with Leia as well."

Jude laughed. "She never does watch where she's going. I could have told her that ice was too thin to walk on. Good thing she has that staff, or she might have actually fallen in." He paused. "Now that I think about it, that was a pretty smart rappig."

Milla nodded gravely. "Indeed. It led us into potentially dangerous situations no less than four times."

"Yeah, it took us almost the whole day to catch it!"

"So, that is what you'd call fun?"

"Maybe not at the time," said Jude, "but looking back on it, it was pretty funny. If there's a memory you can think fondly of, you can say it was fun."

"I see," said Milla. "In that case, much of our journey has been fun indeed."

"Yeah," said Jude, smiling, "I think you're right about that."

* * *

><p>Alvin took big steps. Elize scurried in his wake, trying to keep up in the midst of the bustling streets of Xian Du.<p>

"Hey, slow down, big guy!" Teepo cried at him, as Elize tripped over an uneven cobblestone and stumbled.

He looked over his shoulder. "You're the one who insisted on coming along," he said.

Elize stared at her feet, blinking hard to keep tears from forming. Why was Alvin being so mean?

"Don't be a jerk," said Teepo, zooming in close to Alvin's face. "Elize is just trying to be nice 'cause you're acting all mopey lately."

Elize's head snapped up. "Teepo, stop it!" she cried, grabbing him and covering his mouth with both hands. When she looked at Alvin, he had turned all the way around to face her and was looking strangely contrite.

"Sorry. I've got a lot on my mind lately," he said, reaching over to ruffle her hair.

"Is it because of your mommy?" Elize asked shyly.

Alvin sighed, staring off somewhere into the distance. "Things never turn out the way you expect them to, kid."

She didn't really understand what he meant by that, but when he started walking again it was slow enough for her to keep up. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," Alvin replied cryptically, shooting her a smile.

After another elevator and six more staircases, Elize was having trouble keeping her breathing under control. "Are we...almost...there?" she panted, staggering up a particularly long flight of stairs in a tunnel through the cliffside.

"This is hard," wailed Teepo, who she had since released to float in the air behind her. "This place goes up forever!"

"Did you know in this city there's a ghost who appears to children who complain too much and pushes them down the stairs?" said Alvin. "They just fall down and down and down, all the way to the ground..."

"That's a lie! You're making it up!" cried Elize, although Teepo let out a yelp of fear.

Alvin laughed. "Don't blame me if you wind up falling."

Elize went quiet, too afraid to speak up. Teepo didn't have any such reservations. "I don't wanna fall, the ground looks like a million miles away!"

"Well, if you're good, maybe I'd even consider catching you," said Alvin, reaching the top of the staircase. "Look, we made it. The best view in the city."

Elize trudged up the last few stairs and stopped dead in amazement at the sight that met her eyes. A narrow platform stretched in front of her, built into the cliffside high above Xian Du, higher even than the Coliseum, which she could see below. The light of the setting sun washed over the city, making the yellow rock shine like gold, with a sky full of fire hanging over it.

"It's so beautiful," whispered Elize, gingerly approaching the railing. Far below, people dotted the streets, like the ants she used to play with in Hamil when they invaded her room.

"Everything looks so tiny," said Teepo. "It's like we're at the top of Rieze Maxia!"

Alvin gave a short laugh as he came up beside Elize to lean on the railing. "Yeah, pretty much. I used to come here all the time."

"Why?" asked Elize, looking up at him curiously. "It's a really long walk."

"Closest place to Elympios," he replied, tipping his head back to look at the sky. "I even brought Mom here once, back before she was stuck in bed all the time."

Elize followed his gaze. "It's still really far away, though," she said.

"Yeah."

Teepo floated back into Elize's arms, and she gave him a squeeze, unsure of what to say next. "It's too bad she didn't get to go back with you," she said after a while.

"They couldn't have done anything for her," he said, shaking his head. "And besides...she was already there in her memories." Suddenly, he cursed and dropped his head. "Damn it. Why the hell was I so eager to go back there, anyway?"

Elize thought of Elympios, of the spirit-drained world filled with spyrix machines that sucked its life away bit by bit. It wasn't a very nice place, sure, but home was home, wasn't it? "I wanted to visit the house in the Mon Highlands, even though I didn't remember it at all," she said. "Because it was my home."

"Home, huh." Alvin looked back up. "I guess so. It's in pretty rough shape now, though."

"That's why Milla and Jude and all of us are gonna beat up Gaius and make it all better!" Teepo piped up.

"And then you can go and visit Balan again," Elize added cheerfully.

"Man, what's with you two today? When did you become my personal cheer squad?" Alvin shook his head in exasperation, but Elize caught sight of the smile tugging at his mouth.

"Like I said, it's because you're all mopey," Teepo said.

"Is it that obvious? I must be losing my touch."

"It's suuuper obvious. You're like, the most obvious person ever," Teepo told him.

Alvin rubbed at his face tiredly. "I don't even get to be miserable in peace without taking flak from a puppet," he muttered.

"Teepo's not a puppet!" Elize cried, stomping her foot.

"Alright, alright," Alvin said. "Well, consider your mission accomplished, little lady." He threw his arms wide. "Look, no more moping. You happy?"

She watched him suspiciously. "Are you lying?"

Alvin laughed. "No. I really do feel better," he said, then reached over to ruffle her hair again. "Thanks, kid."

Elize blushed, ducking her head. "It was nothing," she said.

"So," said Alvin, turning to lean with his back against the railing, arms crossed. "Do you want to talk shop? We better think of a strategy for the arena tomorrow or we're going to get beat out by Leia and the geezer."

"No way," said Teepo, wriggling excitedly in Elize's arms. "We're gonna beat everyone!"

"That's the spirit," said Alvin with a grin.

* * *

><p>"Okay, so what's the plan?" demanded Leia, bouncing from foot to foot. She had finally found a good area to train, a broad, empty terrace tucked away near a side street.<p>

Rowen stroked his beard. "I think it would be best if you fought on the front lines, allowing me to support you with artes while you attack. In fact, using your speed to avoid taking damage would be your best course of action, attacking while the enemy's guard is down or when they are confounded by an arte."

Leia scratched her head. "Sooo, run around on the front lines a lot? Sure, I can handle that. No problem."

"It may be for the best if you limit your healing as well. I'm afraid I'm not much good at close range fighting, so you must play that role. There won't be much time for you to cast."

"No healing artes? Are you sure that's really okay?" asked Leia.

"Sometimes a good offence is the best defense," Rowen said sagely.

"Got it. Attack, attack, attack!" Leia swung her staff in a well-rehearsed pattern. "Hi-yah!"

"Very good, Miss Leia. You must be sure not to let your guard down. We won't be able to afford taking any unessessary damage with just the two of us."

"It'll be weird fighting without Jude and everyone," Leia sighed. "Heck, it'll be even weirder fighting _against _them!"

"Fighting your companions is an excellent way to gauge your abilities," said Rowen. "Why, Nachtigal and I used to spar together often back in the day."

"Oh yeah? Who had the most wins?"

"Nachtigal certainly had the edge in strength," said Rowen, stroking his beard in thought. "But even back then I had a few tricks up my sleeve. It was a fearsome competition, between the two of us. Our battles became known throughout Rashugal as 'the dueling duet'."

"Are you serious?" asked Leia, eyes wide.

"Indeed I am. Though, I would have to credit the most wins to Princess Carrie. Neither of us stood a chance once she got it in her head to stop us. She did hate to see us fighting, even if it was in sport."

"I just can't believe you could take on that guy one-on-one. I mean, geez, I don't even think I could fight Elize to a draw."

"Now, now" chided Rowen. "Don't sell yourself short. Of all the dangers we've encountered along the way, you've pulled through just as well as the rest of us."

Leia leaned on her staff. "That's because you all are always there to save my butt," she said.

Rowen smiled. "I'm sure the rest of us could say the same."

Leia didn't feel convinced. Milla was as unstoppable as a force of nature (and she kind of literally was one), Elize and Teepo could wipe the floor with her pithy healing artes any day of the week, Rowen was _t__he Conductor_ and a master channeler to boot, Alvin swung around a sword as tall as she was with one hand, and Jude was...Jude.

She sighed, letting her whole upper body drop with it, then taking a deep breath and sprung back upright. "I'm not going to lose this time," she vowed. "I'm even going to beat Jude and Milla!"

Rowen was watching her shrewdly. "Forgive me for prying," he said, "but you wanted to participate with Jude, didn't you?"

Leia began waving her free hand in embarassment. "Uh..." she stammered. "Well, I mean...it's not like I don't want you for a partner or anything..."

"Oh, I take no offense," said Rowen. "And I'm sure that Jude meant none by picking Milla. It's becoming quite difficult to separate those two, isn't it?"

"No kidding," said Leia, the familiar discouragement creeping up in her chest. Was it jealousy? Jude never looked at her the way he looked at Milla, that was for sure.

"Ah, yes, young love," said Rowen nostalgically. "I'm afraid there's no right answer when it comes to love. It's one of life's most difficult riddles to solve."

"But the answer's right there," said Leia, thinking of Jude's smile, his laugh, his stupid girly handwriting, the way he neatly arranged the food on his plate...

"There are many different forms of love," said Rowen. "Unfortunately, it's not always that both parties feel the same kind of affection."

"Are you saying that Jude's never gonna love me?" asked Leia, hating how small her voice sounded.

Rowen shook his head. "No, but I will say that for all the things you two have accomplished, you are still very young."

"I'm fifteen!" said Leia. "That's practically an adult, right?"

"Sometimes I wonder if I can consider _myself _an adult," said Rowen. "It's a difficult thing to come to terms with."

"Huh? No way! You're like, an old guy. I mean, not that I mean anything by that..."

Rowen chuckled. "Yes, I supposed I am just an old geezer. But if this old man still has some fight in him, I'm certain that a young lady as spirited as you can muster enough fight to carry us through tomorrow."

Leia gripped her staff with both hands. "Do you really think we can win?"

"I don't see why not."

"Okay!" Leia nodded and assumed a fighting stance. "Let's practice."

Rowen glanced at the rapidly dimming sky. "It's getting late," he said.

"Then that means we better hurry up!" said Leia determinedly, brandishing her staff.

"Oh, dear," Rowen sighed, but pulled out his weapon.

(To be continued)

* * *

><p>Author's notes:<p>

Hey, how's it going. I actually started writing this almost a year ago, after beating Tales of Xillia. Now that I've beaten Tales of Xillia 2, I'm back in the swing of things (I think)! Since I wrote this entire chapter so long ago, I don't really have any comments on the writing process or anything that went in it. Except for I think I was inspired by the fact that so much happens in Xian Du...it just really seems like I ended up there a lot. Hence the opening line.

And just to be clear, it takes place right before the final battle, and right after everything that happens in Xian Du with Isla and Lutecia.

This fic is gonna bounce its POV a lot, so expect to hear a bit from everyone in the party. Also, some familiar faces from unexpected places. This is the coliseum in a Tales game, after all ;)'

Edit: now with page breaks! Thanks, , for taking out all the lovely lines I had in when I imported it. Hopefully it'll be easier to read now!


	2. Preliminaries

For their first matches, they were each to fight a monster and its handler. This _was _Auj Oule, after all. Boring but predictable, Milla thought as she dispatched one of the bird-like creatures native to the area with an arte. Behind her, as she felt through their Link, Jude launched a triple-strike assault on the handler, knocking the man off the edge of the arena and into the safety net below.

The match was over.

"The returning champions certainly haven't worn out their edge," boomed the announcer. "I bet we'll be seeing this feisty duo all the way up to the finals!"

The crowd cheered, and Jude waved up at them with a half-smile, but Milla, who had been subject to worshipful adoration her entire life, didn't pay them any mind. "It's been some time since we fought with just the two of us," she said to Jude as they exited the ring.

He was about to reply when something small and soft barrelled into Milla, latching itself to her side, and she looked down in surprise to realize that it was Elize. "Milla, you were amazing," the girl said.

"We were watching. You guys are so cool!" said Teepo, hovering in the air.

"Thanks," said Jude, "but it wasn't really a difficult fight. I'm sure our later matches will be tougher."

"You bet," said another familiar voice. Alvin strode up to them, sword resting over his shoulder and gun draw. "Later on it'll be time to pit our little crew against each other."

"I must say that I'm excited to test my skills against yours and the others," said Milla, extracting herself from Elize's grip.

"Are you two fighting next?" Jude asked.

"Yup," said Teepo. "We're gonna beat the tar out of whoever stands in our way!"

A bell rang above the door to the arena. "That's our cue," said Alvin. "C'mon, Elize."

"We'll be watching from the stands," called Jude after them. "Oh, and good luck!"

"Thanks," Elize called back as she exited into the ring.

Jude turned to Milla. "Let's go get a seat."

"Certainly," she said, nodding.

It was fortunate that they were able to find an empty spot in the challenger's stands before the fight began. Milla sat patiently through the announcer's prattle, finding herself unexpectedly excited at the prospect of watching the fight. It wasn't often she got to observe her companions' battle skills from a distance, except perhaps for previous times they'd come to the Coliseum. But even then those fights were usually one-on-one or all as a group.

Alvin and Elize stood in the middle of the arena, waiting for their opponent to be revealed. Alvin's stance was relaxed, all of his weight placed on one foot, while Elize hugged Teepo tightly to her in anxiety. Finally, the opposite doors opened, and the other team stepped out.

Actually, only one creature stepped out, because the trainer was perched on the massive monster's back.

It was a wyvern.

Milla's seat was close enough to the ground that she heard Alvin's voice, loud and clear.

"Oh, you have _got _to be kidding me."

The wyvern roared. Its rider leapt up onto its head and laughed. "How do you like that?! I'll show you how a true man fights," he yelled, in a disturbingly familiar voice. The curious sensation that Milla had learned to identify as annoyance caused the corners of her mouth to tighten.

"Is that...Ivar?" asked Jude from the seat next to her.

"I believe so," said Milla.

The fight began with a jet of fire shot from the wyvern's mighty maw, mixed with wind artes to concoct a deadly mix of flame that launched towards Alvin and Elize at an alarming speed. Alvin grabbed Elize around the middle and pulled her out of the way as the place they had been standing a second earlier went up in smoke, which proceeded to cloud up the surrounding area.

"Not a very good start," muttered Jude.

Milla folded her arms and sat back. "Hmm."

In the arena, Ivar was standing on his wyvern's back, hand on his hips and head thrown back in laughter. Then Alvin was suddenly there, materializing out of the smoke like a demon from hell, sword cloaked in fire and ready to strike. Ivar scrambled for his weapons while the wyvern raised its wings in preparation. Just before Alvin reached them one of Elize's artes did, hands of darkness reaching out of the earth to batter the wyvern's wings, knocking the creature off balance. Alvin's sword connected with its chest, causing its entire body to arch in pain, and Ivar leapt down to fight the mercenary off.

"They recovered nicely," said Milla.

"Yeah, this is getting pretty intense," Jude agreed.

Alvin and Ivar were duelling furiously in the middle of the ring now, Ivar's speed and erratic style clashing with Alvin's brute strength and combat experience. His gun bought him an advantage over the handmaid which he brought to bear with expert precision, driving Ivar back when he could and keeping him at arm's length.

Elize was hammering the wyvern with artes, alternating from strikes from the ground, its sides, and the sky to keep it disoriented.

"That's not going to hold it for long," said Jude, frowning.

Mirroring Jude's thoughts, Ivar's voice could be heard over the sound of clashing swords. "Ha! You think you can keep this strategy up forever? You're just delaying your imminent demise!"

"Do you ever shut up?" growled Alvin, firing a couple of rounds at Ivar, which he nimbly dodged.

And then Elize cast Negative Gate on him.

"Whaaaaaat?" wailed Ivar as the gravitational vortex sucked him in. Alvin took the opportunity to slip past him and attack the still-confused wyvern directly, launching a powerful arte at one of its wings. The wyvern screeched, belching a stream of fire while whipping its long tail towards Alvin. He blocked the tail but was momentarily lost from view within the flames.

"Oh no," said Jude. Milla was too focused on the fight to respond.

"Alvin!" cried Elize, from the other side of the arena. Ivar caught sight of her as he picked himself off the ground and made a dash for her, weapons at the ready.

"Elize, look out!" came Alvin's voice as he re-appeared, scorched but still standing. He shot his gun at the wyvern to keep it on the defensive as he moved out of its range, then swiftly switched his aim to Ivar and fired. Ivar dodged, still on course for Elize.

"Not on my watch, you don't!" roared Teepo, blindsiding Ivar just as he was about to reach Elize and latching onto his head. Milla could still hear his muffled yelling, and she marvelled at how very loud Ivar was capable of being.

Elize whacked him in the knees with her wand, sending him toppling over on the ground, still struggling to get Teepo off his head. She fired a quick healing spell Alvin's way, and they both took the chance to launch a joint assault on the wyvern while Ivar was distracted.

Milla nodded in approval.

"Wow, they're doing great, now," said Jude.

After being beaten with a combination arte that resembled a giant toy hammer, shot with a laser beam made of darkness, and pummelled from above by a shower of bullets, the wyvern gave in, letting its long neck collapse to the ground like a winding rope.

Elize quickly healed Alvin, and both of them converged on Ivar, who finally managed to detach Teepo just as they reached him. Alvin's sword was already at his throat.

A hush fell over the crowd. "You wanna surrender?" Alvin asked.

"Surrendering is for cowards!" said Ivar. "You still haven't seen everything me and my wyvern can do—"

"We beat up your dumb wyvern already," said Teepo.

Ivar stiffened. "You—you what? That's impossible!"

"Nope. True as the day is long," said Alvin.

"Fine! I...I'm making a tactical retreat for now," said Ivar.

Alvin pressed down with his sword, grinning wickedly. "Come on, you have to say it right or we can't end the match. Tournament rules."

"Grrr...I—I give up," Ivar snapped, and the audience erupted into cheers.

"And this harrowing match is over, ladies and gentlemen...who'd have thought we would see such an amazing fight in the Prelims?"

The announcer went on, but Milla tuned him out in favour of watching as Ivar sprang up and fled the arena as soon as Alvin's sword was gone. She wondered if she should find him and try to talk to him, but dismissed the thought. He would undoubtedly leave the city immediately after this humiliating defeat, and the more she thought about it, the less she felt like actually putting up with his absurd antics. Instead, she looked to Jude.

"I don't think I ever realized how well those two work together," he said, watching Alvin and Elize leave the arena.

"Yes, Linking with Lillium orbs certainly does wonders," replied Milla.

"I don't think that's entirely it, though," said Jude. "To really work with someone well, you have to know them, their patterns, and habits, and thoughts."

Milla hadn't really thought about that until now. She thought back over her experience with Linking with her different companions, and found that indeed, the longer she had travelled with them the easier Linking effectively had become. "And the two of us have been travelling together the longest out of everybody in our group," she said aloud.

Jude looked at her in surprise. "Yeah, I guess we have."

"Then we should make a formidable pair," said Milla, smiling.

"I hope so," said Jude.

* * *

><p>Rowen and Leia had been watching from the stands as well.<p>

"Wow, that was really something," said Leia. "I can't believe Ivar came all the way out here."

"He is a very tenacious young man," said Rowen. "Although the fact that he can command a wyvern is impressive in its own right."

"Yeah, too bad it doesn't stop him from being crazy!"

Rowen laughed in appreciation of Leia's honest nature. "Very true."

"So it's our turn next, huh?" said Leia.

"Indeed," Rowen replied, watching the next contestants enter the ring. He mentally measured them up, deciding that the woman with the harpy companion was the likely winner. Next to him, Leia fidgeted. This wasn't unusual in its own right, but the way her hands twisted on her staff suggested something more than mere impatience. Rowen waited for her to speak. It didn't take long.

"We're definitely not going to lose!" she burst out, apparently unable to hold it in anymore. "We're absolutely, definitely, totally gonna make it to the top! We're even going to kick Jude and Milla's butts!"

The determination blazing in her eyes fully matched the bravado in her voice, a far cry from her hesitation last night. Rowen smiled to himself, nodding in agreement to Leia's impassioned cry. "Indeed we shall, Miss Leia," he said.

In the arena, the Harpy turned a somersault in the air, letting out a cry of victory as its opponents lay beaten in the arena's dirt floor. A decisive victory.

* * *

><p>Lunchtime during Coliseum tournaments was always somewhat of an ordeal for the group, considering what had happened the first time they had participated, thanks to Exodus. The only one who didn't seem to care was Milla, who barely waited for the food to be set down in front of her before she started wolfing it down.<p>

Jude took a small bite and waited five minutes, just to be on the safe side.

Each of the pairs in their group had handily won their matches, Rowen and Leia having dispatched a boar and its rider shortly before lunch. Leia's skill would have done her mother proud, Jude thought, and sighed. He'd been on the receiving end of that staff one time too many in his childhood. He kind of almost felt sorry for her opponents.

"Jude. Are you not going to eat that?" Milla asked, snapping him out of his thoughts. She was pointing at his as-yet untouched bowl of soup.

"What? Oh, no. Er, I mean, yes. I'm going to eat it." He picked up his spoon.

Across the table, Leia was recounting her fight with the boar to Elize. "So it was charging at me, full tilt, so close I could see all of its gross nose-hairs. But then Rowen's spirit arte hit it from below and it flew waaaaay up," she said, waving around a breadstick demonstratively. "Then I just went _whoosh! Bam! a_nd it went right off the edge! Didja see it?"

"Yeah! You were so cool, Leia," said Elize, eyes shining.

"Well, what _I _saw was you freaking out and then practically tripping over your staff when you went to attack," said Alvin, grinning lazily and tipping back his chair onto its hind legs. He still hadn't touched his food, Jude noticed. And he still hadn't told Jude the real reason he wanted to join this tournament. Jude supposed he'd have to ask him directly later.

"What?! That's totally not what happened at all! Everything was 100% on purpose," Leia said indignantly, snapping Jude out of his thoughts as she pounded the table.

"Oh, I see. So you _meant _to get your shirt caught on that thing's tusks and nearly get dragged over with it."

"Now, now," interrupted Rowen, delicately placing his fork aside. "It is only thanks to Miss Leia's support that an old geezer such as me is able to fight in such an event. I won't have you mock her efforts," he said, though his eyes were twinkling with mirth.

Jude watched them with amusement. Leia and Alvin bickered some more, resulting in Leia chucking the breadstick at him, which caused him to lose his balance and go crashing to the floor, chair and all. Elize giggled from behind a roll she had clutched squirrel-like in both hands as Teepo hovered over Alvin, taunting him relentlessly. Rowen chuckled and pretended to be very interested in his meal as an irate Alvin rose from the floor, cursing colorfully. Milla, ignoring all else, continued to eat.

It was nice, just to see everyone together like this. Like nothing would ever change.

* * *

><p>AN: All right, here we go. I don't usually write fight scenes, so much of this fic is a big writing exercise for me! I've actually written quite a bit ahead, but I'm banking on feedback I get to carry me through to the finish, because I kind of need the motivation. On a side note, the second-last and final scene of this chapter were the first new things I wrote since I picked this up from a year ago. I did re-edit it, though.

Looking back on it, not much actually happened except for the fight against Ivar, and I wasn't even intending for that to happen. I remember going, "Hmm, what should they fight?" then, "Oh, it should be something ridiculous. A wyvern, maybe?" and then, "How about _Ivar's _wyvern?"

I actually really like Ivar. The amount of effort and energy he puts into things despite being an idiot and kind of insane is incredible.

Anyways, talk to me, people! Many thanks to Nameless Knight and others, but if you're reading this don't think for a second that I don't want to hear what you have to say.


	3. Vs The Fabulous Freres Fon Fabre

The rules of the tournament were simple: if one of the combatants fell off the edge of the area or verbally announced defeat, their side lost. Now that they had reached round two, careful attention would have to be given to prevent either of the two outcomes.

In the challenger's waiting room, Milla rested a hand on her sword hilt, anticipatory, but not anxious. Alvin had mentioned that a highlight of the tournament was going to be the participation of champions from "faraway lands".

"From Elympios?" Jude had questioned, frowning in confusion.

Alvin just shrugged. "Beats me. That's what the poster said."

It was two of these mysterious "champions" that they were slated to fight next. Milla looked forward to the challenge. Jude, on the other hand, was shifting from foot to foot and fiddling with his gauntlets.

"What's the matter, Jude?" she asked, and received a rueful smile in return.

"It's nothing really…but it would be nice to know who exactly we're supposed to be fighting before we get into the ring."

Milla cocked her head to the side. "Really? I thought human enjoyed surprises. I myself am rather excited." Jude laughed, Milla frowned. "What's so funny?"

"You say you're excited, but you look so calm," he replied, hiding a smile behind his hand in a strangely endearing gesture. "I think for most people, though, it depends on the kind of surprise."

"Hmm. What kind of surprises do you prefer?"

"I'd say I'm the kind of person who likes to be prepared. Oh, but there was one time that Leia threw a surprise birthday party for me…" he winced, apparently remembering something. "Well, I'm not sure that qualifies as a good surprise."

"A surprise party? I wouldn't mind experiencing one of those for myself."

"Oh, really? Maybe sometime we can…" he trailed off, suddenly downcast.

"I may not have enough time for that," said Milla gravely, speaking aloud both of their thoughts. A prickle of regret sought a crack in her impenetrable resolve, but she shook her head once to dispel it.

"It's almost time for the match," said Jude, avoiding her eyes. They waited in silence for the call.

* * *

><p>They were, of course, introduced first, the announcer shouting hyperbolic praises of the multi-time arena winners as they stepped into the ring.<p>

"And up next are Jude Mathis and Milla Maxwell, the deadly duo we've all come to expect so much from. And boy, do they deliver! But can this king and queen of the ring weather this next storm?! We'll see who fortune favors when the dust settles on this next match!"

"He certainly likes to talk," murmured Milla, one hand on her hip.

"Well, that is his job," said Jude.

Finally, the announcer's prattle ceased, and the gate on the opposite side of the arena opened. It was finally time to meet their figures stepped out. Milla sized them up. Swordsmen both, same height, same build…in fact, they looked exactly alike, down to the green eyes and blazing red hair. The only things that seemed different were their clothing and the expressions they wore, one bright and excited, the other looking positively surly.

"And here they are, ladies and gentlemen, two of the mystery entrants you've been waiting to see! Here's Luke "light of the sacred flame" Fon Fabre, and his twin brother God-general Asch the Bloody, both hailing from the land of Auldrant! Just don't ask us to locate it on a map. Heeeeere's Luke and Asch Fon Fabre, the Resonating Twins!"

"They look powerful," said Jude, settling into a fighting stance. Milla did the same.

"True," she said, "But if the enemy is strong, we must simply be stronger."

Their opponents, Luke and Asch Fon Fabre, faced them from across the ring. Now that she got a better look at them, Milla noted that the bright-faced one had shorter hair than the angry-looking one.

The angry one smirked. "Hmph. So these are our opponents? They look weak."

"That's what you said last time, Asch," complained the bright-faced one, who Milla supposed must be Luke. "And you still almost got the crap kicked out of you."

"No one asked you, dreck," Asch snarled in return. Milla and Jude exchanged a questioning look.

Then the match began.

Activating a Link with Jude through their Lillium Orbs, Milla danced forward with the sweeping strikes of a whirling assault, intending to gain the upper hand by separating the twins and disrupting whatever strategy they might have. She pursued Asch, their swords clashing in a flurry of sparks, as somewhere behind her Jude engaged Luke.

"Hah! Think I'm going to lose to a petty trick like that?" said Asch, meeting each of Milla's strikes with a wicked parry. She didn't reply, choosing instead to concentrate on the fight. He was powerful; not as fast as she was, but the very force behind his blows made it difficult to find an opening. An arte instead, then.

She surged upwards, cloaking her sword in energy and delivering a piercing strike to Asch, launching him skyward.

He only just managed to get his guard up, but it did nothing to help him gain his balance in the air. Milla landed gracefully and prepared to strike again, when through her Link she sensed Jude falter.

"Asch!" cried a voice behind her, and Milla barely got her sword up in time to block a strike from Luke.

"Stick to your own fight, moron!" barked Asch, already recovered and moving to attack. Then Jude was there, throwing a hard punch into Asch's guard, halting his assault, while Milla drove Luke back with a flurry of strikes. Now they stood back-to-back in the center of the ring, each facing a Fon Fabre.

"They really are tough," muttered Jude, nursing his side.

"Yes. We mustn't let our guard down."

Asch and Luke began to circle them, looking for an opening. "You know what 'don't interfere' means, don't you, dreck?" said Asch, without taking his eyes off his foes.

"Well, yeah, but I don't think it counts when the whole point of the fight is battling as a team," said Luke. "Also, would it kill you to call me by my name for once?"

Asch laughed harshly. "You want me to call you by my name? You must be stupider than I thought."

"Just asking…" grumbled Luke.

"Um…" whispered Jude. "Are they fighting us, or are they fighting each other?"

"Perhaps we can use their discord against them," replied Milla, watching Asch keenly. His hand tightened on the hilt of his sword. "Here they come!"

Both brothers launched an assault simultaneously, Milla once again crossing swords with Asch while Jude's fists sought purchase between the swipes of Luke's sword. Asch's relentless attacks drove her back until she felt her heel slip on the edge, but she found an opening and took it, dancing forward in a rain of strikes. He stumbled; Jude sensed Milla's triumph and pressed his attack, sending Luke tripping backwards into his brother.

"Watch it!" Asch snapped.

"You watch it!" Luke retorted.

Asch scowled. "This is getting ridiculous. Do something right for once, and let's get this over with."

"Wow, I actually agree with you this time," said Luke. He pointed his sword at Milla and Jude. "Hey, you! You ready for this?"

They braced themselves, ready for an all-out attack from both brothers. Instead, Asch stepped backwards while Luke charged them recklessly, grinning wildly and sword glowing with an arte that Milla didn't recognize. She jumped to evade it, but he swung the sword skyward, launching off the ground with a powerful leap and catching Milla in a ring of light that battered her from all sides.

"Victory light spear!" Luke cried, the swirling rays of light knocking even Jude aside on the ground. Only then, as she tried to right herself did Milla sense the flow of mana that told her what Asch was up to. But then it was too late.

"Thunder blade!"

A massive thunderclap rent the air as the arte materialized over Asch, the flickering cords of electricity that composed it pulsing with an ungodly light. The sword of lightning loomed above them long enough to illuminate with perfect clarity Asch's vicious grin, then came crashing down.

Sometimes Milla was glad for being able to experience sensations exactly as humans did. This was not one of those times.

"Milla!" cried Jude, grabbing for her hand amid the maelstrom of electrically-charged mana. She could feel him gathering the energy for a healing arte, gritting his teeth against the pain, and readied herself for the moment the arte subsided. It would be their chance to strike back.

Jude's mana surged through her, lessening the damage she had sustained enough for her to dash forward. Complacent after landing such a powerful attack, Asch was unprepared for Milla's sudden ferocity, cursing as his guard broke under her assault.

"Replica!" he cried to his partner. "The boy's a healer!"

"Got it!" said Luke, immediately rushing Jude, who was still weakened from the attack.

Milla wasted no time in delivering Asch a savage kick to the midsection, knocking him down,before turning and casting a swift arte of her own. Three fireballs shot through the air towards Luke, who in his surprise only managed to dodge the first. Jude swiftly backstepped out of his range, and Milla mirrored the movement to evade Asch's swipe at her legs from the ground.

Asch staggered to his feet, eying her warily. "You're strong," he said.

"As are you," she replied, with a short nod, "But I am not ready to concede defeat."

"Hmph. I'll make you eat those words!" Asch cried, suddenly striking the ground with his sword. An arte, Milla realized belatedly, as chunks of rocks exploded from the ground in front of her. She barely managed to block the worst of it before Asch was upon her, attacking in a flurry of powerful blows. Milla felt for Jude through the Link; he was fighting on even ground with Luke, striking and parrying in equal measure. She sent him a jolt of urgency and he responded immediately, breaking away from his duel by tripping Luke with a sudden low-sweeping kick. He took a two step dash and launched into a rising falcon, leaping high into the air and then rocketing down towards Asch foot-first.

Milla managed to push against Asch's attacks, hoping to create an opening, but he saw Jude just in time and with a furious cry, struck out at him instead. The resulting cross-counter sent them both flying back.

Jude flipped in the air and landed on his feet; Asch skidded to a halt inches from the edge of the arena. Now Milla and Jude stood on opposite sides of the ring facing the Fon Fabres, who stood their ground near the edge.

Milla studied their stances, looking for the opening that would give her and Jude a chance to deliver the deciding strike. All four of them were worn down at this point. The fight couldn't possibly continue for much longer.

Asch muttered something to Luke, who frowned and stepped back from him.

"What? No way! You're the one who said you could take her!"

"Don't argue, Dreck! You dragged me into this ridiculous mess, and I'll be damned if I lose because of you too."

"Hey, Anise is the one who signed you up. Why did you bother showing if you didn't want to fight?"

Asch went quiet for a full five seconds, which was certainly long enough for Milla to attack, but the warring expressions on Asch's face tickled her curiosity enough that she waited to hear what he would say.

Finally, Asch managed to spit out, "But she…I…she said we were going to get ice cream!"

Milla met Jude's eyes from across the ring, and they were filled with as much sheer bafflement as Milla felt. Apparently, Luke felt the same.

"Are you serious?"

"Shut up!" barked Asch. He seemed to be hiding his embarrassment behind anger, which Milla understood to be a common human tactic. Asch brandished his blade. "It's time to quit playing around. We're finishing this right now!"

Milla prepared herself, and felt Jude do the same. This was it. Jude seemed to be planning to attack to the left, where Asch was, hoping to sidestep into his blind spot and attack the side where Milla had kicked him earlier. Milla decided that distracting both brothers with an arte was the best way to supplement this strategy.

All four combatants leaped forward with battlecries. Milla jumped to dodge Luke's demon fang attack, coming down hard to counter Asch's arte with her own as she flipped in the air and performed a death knell. Right on cue Jude rolled under Luke's questing blade and came up behind Asch, whose sword was locked with Milla's. Jude punched him so hard Milla felt the power behind it through their Link, and Asch's legs buckled.

"Damn…" he hissed, as Jude jumped back to evade Luke once again, and Milla slashed at him before he could bring the blade back around. He made to dodge, but tripped over Asch.

"Whoa!" Luke cried, toppling to the ground.

"You idiot!" snapped Asch.

Milla nodded to Jude. "Ready?"

He nodded back. "Of course."

"Tornado Blade!" They cried together, attacking in unison. Summoning blades of air to pull their opponents into the air, Milla rode the vortex of wind as Jude stood in the eye of the miniature cyclone and launched a savage upward attack on their hapless foes.

He landed lightly next to Milla as Luke and Asch fell heavily to the arena floor.

There was a silence. The audience waited with bated breath to see if the Fon Fabres would rise again. Finally, Luke raised one hand and groaned, "Okay, okay. I give up."

The crowd went wild.

"And there we have it, ladies and gentlemen! The fight of a lifetime! Things looked dicey for Milla and Jude , but our reigning champs held on to that crown! Their opponents didn't go down without a fight, though, that's for sure," said the announcer.

"Idiot…" muttered Asch from where he lay. "What…makes you think…you can just give up like that?"

"Are you kidding? If I kept fighting looking like this, Jade would make like a million snide comments about me not knowing when to quit."

On their side of the arena, Jude grinned triumphantly at Milla. It was a good expression on his face, which was too often serious, or worried, or lost in thought. This smile was bright and vivacious, not apologetic, or simply a pleasantry. Milla responded with a genuine smile of her own.

Two rounds down. They were a formidable team. The thought pleased her more than it probably ought to, but she decided to let it warm her heart, just for a little while longer.

* * *

><p>AN: Ahh, I meant to post this sooner, but I kept putting off doing my research*. So, first up is our cameo match from Tales of the Abyss! Luke and Asch really don't get along...but I love writing people who argue a lot. Also, I know they're not actually brothers, but it seemed like an easier explanation than, y'know, clones.

As it turns out, writing fight scenes from one of the participant's perspectives is pretty hard, but the next couple of matches are written like this, so I hope it's okay.

Thanks to everyone out there reading! I appreciate each and every one of you.

*AKA, booting up the game and checking the artes and stuff to make sure I got it right.


	4. Interlude 1: Jude and Judas

It was windy that day in Xian Du, the breeze cutting through the canyon that housed the city and sending the thousands of pennants adorning its windows fluttering like a whirlwind of autumn leaves. Pretty poetic, Alvin thought to himself, leaning on a balcony railing. Taking a walk to get away from the coliseum crowds hadn't been a bad idea.

He sensed someone behind him, and tried not to make the shifting of his hand toward his gun too obvious. He dropped the motion when they spoke.

"Hey, Alvin."

"Jude," he said, turning smoothly, smile in place. "Nice moves out there. I was watching."

"Yeah," said Jude, stepping up to the rail beside him, "thanks."

There was a pause. Alvin winced inwardly, mind scrambling for a topic that would at the very least stop Jude from giving him that cool, measured look, the same one he'd worn when talking to Alvin ever since Hamil. Whoa, okay, don't think about Hamil, he ordered himself.

Finally, Jude spoke. "What's the real reason that you wanted us to compete in this tournament?"

Ah, an easy one. Alvin put on a lazy grin, roughly draping his arm over Jude. "Hey, c'mon, can't a guy just want to have a little fun before dealing with all the heavy 'save the world' stuff?"

Jude scowled, staring at the ground. "…Why is it that you only touch people when you're trying to hide something from them?" he asked.

Alvin felt himself freeze. Jude was looking up at him now, and Alvin finally saw the sullen hurt hidden in his eyes, too much like the kid Alvin never got to be. He removed his arm, feeling slightly numb. "Well, you know what they say," he tried, the levity falling flat, "keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."

"Are you saying we're your enemies?"

"Nah. Unless you want to try getting even 'closer'." He winked and nudged Jude, trying one more time just to blow it off.

Jude didn't take the bait. "So why do you want to be in this tournament?"

Damn it, the kid was persistent. Alvin let out a huge sigh, dropping all efforts to look anything other than bone-deep tired. "Look," he said, serious for once. "It's just something I wanted to do, okay? I have my reasons."

Jude studied his face for a moment, his expression more thoughtful than hurt now. He nodded. "Okay." Then he turned to walk away.

Alvin stared after him, totally flummoxed. "Wait, that's it?" he burst out.

Jude turned back in surprise. "Huh?"

"I mean…that's it? That's all you wanted?"

Jude's brow knit in confusion. "I just…wanted you to be honest," he said.

"Oh," Alvin said. He wanted to add something about how overrated honesty was, or how much more interesting lies were compared to the truth. But Jude's eyes were clear from the sullenness that had clouded them a few moments ago, and Alvin found that the words stuck in his throat.

"What did you think I wanted?" Jude asked.

It was an excellent question. What the hell had Alvin thought Jude wanted? He floundered for an answer. Something more substantial than _I felt like it_, surely? It wasn't like he was lying or anything, but it still wasn't much of an answer.

Jude was still watching him, frowning. "…Alvin?"

Alvin started. "Oh, yeah, never mind. Just forget it." He waved absently as he turned back to the railing.

"Okay…if you say so," said Jude, and continued on his way.

Alvin sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly. This whole "honesty" thing…he wasn't sure if he was going to be getting the hang of it anytime soon. But the way Jude just nodded, said it was okay without even any questions…it felt pretty good.

* * *

><p>AN: It's a short one, this time. I wanted to put breaks between the big fights, but it felt like it might be smoother to have them as separate chapters instead of tacking them on to the ends of the fights.

That being said, I really love the relationship between Jude and Alvin. Well, I love Alvin in general, but hey. In Xillia 2 I noticed that he seemed to be a little less...um, hands on...than he was in the first one, and in turn, he was a lot more reliable. Boy's got a lotta issues to sort through.

As always, thanks for reading, and kindly review! Your words will warm my heart :)


	5. Sirius Competition

Leia was buzzing with nerves by the time she and Rowen made it down to the waiting room. Their match was coming up next, and after watching Milla and Jude kick the tar out of the two weird but surprisingly strong Fon Fabre guys, the volatile mixture of anxiety and excitement inside of Leia was about ready to explode. She twirled her staff in an effort to keep her hands occupied while shifting nervously from foot to foot.

Rowen glanced over. "It wouldn't do to waste your energy before we step foot in the arena," he said.

"I know, I know!" said Leia. "But I gotta keep moving, I can't stop!"

"Hmm, this seems to be a rather severe case of the jitterbugs," said Rowen. "Might I recommend a spot of tea?"

"We don't have time for that!"

"Nonsense. There is always time for tea."

Leia would have argued the point further (and perhaps noticed that she'd stopped fidgeting as she spoke), but just then the doors to the arena opened and an attendent ushered them out.

The sudden rush of sunlight and noise overwhelmed her for a moment, stopping her in her tracks. Could she really do this? Even Milla had looked like she was having a hard time in her last fight, so how was Leia supposed to win? But then Rowen nudged her shoulder ever so slightly and smiled in that serene, confident way, like he knew everything in the world. And Leia thought, okay, maybe everything will turn out fine.

The crowd cheered as they made their way to the middle, and Leia put on her best smile, waving to all sides. The others were out there watching somewhere, and she was going to show them just what she was made of.

"And here's some more of our arena favorites: Rowen Ilbert, the famous Rashugalian tactitian known as The Composer! And fighting alongside him today is that bright as sunshine staff-wielding young lady we all know and love, Leia Rolando! Will these two fan favorites find a favourable finish to the following fight, or are they fated to forgo their fame as they fall into misfortune?!"

"Wow, that was pretty impressive," said Leia.

"You might say it was fantastic, if on the fringe of frivolous," replied Rowen, eyes twinkling.

"And as for their foes, joining us today are two rather unusual, but most assuredly powerful, challengers! From the lofty regions of the sky shines the brightest star of all! Please welcome the guild master of Brave Vesperia, Karol Capel, and his right-hand man, Repede!"

The door on the opposite side of the arena opened, and two figures stepped out. Leia's heart raced. So these were going to be her opponents, her sworn enemies for the next however-long-it-took-to-win. They were…they were…a kid and a dog?!

Up on the dias, somebody whispered something to the announcer.

"Oh, wait, sorry. Correction: his right-hand man's dog, Repede!"

The young boy, no older than twelve, moved to stand across from Leia and Rowen, followed by a sleek dark-furred dog. The boy was clutching a gigantic hammer in both hands that had to be at least as heavy as he was, and frankly, he looked terrified. The dog looked a whole lot calmer. Also, it had a pipe in its mouth.

Just where the heck did they find these people?!

"U-um, hey!" said the boy, Karol. "I-I'm the guild leader of Brave Vesperia, so d-don't go thinking you can beat me so easily! I'm not fighting because we needed the money or anything, i-it's just to show everyone how tough my guild is!"

"You are striking terror into my heart as we speak, young master Karol," said Rowen in a tone that conveyed the utmost awe . "I tremble thinking about what horrors you will inflict upon us in this battle. Oh, my old heart! It's beating so fast I fear it might burst!"

"Huh? Wait, no!" Karol waved his hands in a panic, dropping the hammer. "Waaah! What should I do, Repede?"

The dog sat on its haunches and gave him a look of utter disdain.

"Wait, hey, you're just making fun of me, aren't you?" Karol said to Rowen as the older man brought up a hand to hide his amused smile. Karol hung his head and sighed. "Nobody ever takes me seriously…but I'm gonna show them! This time, I won't run!" He grabbed his hammer and took a fighting stance, determination shining in his eyes. Next to him, the dog stood and smoothly withdrew a knife from a sheath around its neck, holding it between his teeth and crouching down, ready to attack.

"It seems that despite the strange nature of this pair, we shouldn't underestimate them," Rowen murmured to Leia, drawing his rapier.

"Okay, you got it. No holding back," she said, twirling her staff and settling into a ready stance.

The fight was on.

Repede moved first, faster than Leia expected, leaping towards Rowen.

"Oh no you don't," said Leia, swinging her staff in a wide arc to deter him. The dog growled and swiped at her with his knife before changing tack and body-slamming her knees. "Wah! No way," wailed Leia, toppling to the ground.

Karol's gigantic hammer looked heavy, but he sure knew how to use it, as Leia discovered when she barely managed to roll away from an earth-shattering smash.

"Rowen, do something!" Leia cried, feeling through their link, but at that very moment he unleashed an arte. Mana pooled in the shape of a massive orb of water directly above where Karol was struggling to lift his weapon up and around; Repede jumped back, but the boy wasn't so lucky. The sudden deluge knocked him flat on his back.

"All right, back in business," said Leia, back on her feet and ready for action. Repede attacked again, but this time Leia used the full reach of her staff to keep him at arm's length. Repede bared his teeth in a frustrated snarl as he sought a way around her defense. Leia pressed her advantage, getting in the groove as she pushed the dog back towards the edge of the arena.

She felt the stream of mana that Rowen was channeling break just as he called her name. She whirled, dismayed to realize that she had been so caught up fighting Repede that she'd completely forgotten about Karol.

"Hi-yah!" the small boy cried, swinging his hammer in the wide, powerful arcs of a strike arte. Rowen skilfully dodged the haphazard attacks, but it left him no time to cast. Leia bounded over, landing a blow with her staff as Rowen dispatched a trio of throwing knives that landed around Karol in a triangle shape. The arte severed fate took shape, catching Karol in the deadly waves of light generated by the triangle.

Leia turned back to her former opponent in time to catch a flying strike from the knife in Repede's mouth on her staff. She threw him off with a mighty swing, but he twisted in the air and landed easily on all four paws, moving to stand between Leia and the downed Karol.

"Wow," said Leia, moving back into a ready position, "This is one tough pooch!"

"They say the dog takes after the master," said Rowen, somehow managing to speak and channel an arte at the same time. "If that's so, then this one's master must be a fierce man indeed."

"You…you bet," huffed Karol, hauling himself to his feet. "Yuri's the strongest guy around! That's why I…I don't want to let him down!"

For an instant his eyes met Leia's and she couldn't help but sympathize with the look there: a kind of forced determination, verging on desperate; the expression of a person who had nothing except an ocean's worth of false bravado. But then the moment had passed and a jolt from her Link sent her springing into action once more, dancing in time to the mana flowing from Rowen in the shape of towering icicles manifesting beneath the feet of their foes. Leia sensed her partner's predictions of Repede's movements, landing a three-point strike on Karol before leaping up to attack the dog as he tried to dodge in the air. Repede twisted and yelped, landing poorly, and his paws scrabbled for purchase on the ice, and yes, yes, he was going to go over the edge, and—

And he had grabbed her staff between his teeth?!

At the very last second his claws dug into the ice, and with one last furious snarl he whipped his head around. Leia was so surprised that she forgot to let go.

"Wh-whaaaaat?!" she wailed, sailing over the edge.

The bell signaling the end of the match rung just as she hit the saftey net below.

* * *

><p>AN: Oops, poor Leia! Well, did you think the Xillians were just going to win every battle just like that?! Nah. As for why I picked Karol and Repede for this match...I kind of wanted a quirky matchup. Plus, I like Karol and when I play Vesperia I always use Repede in battle. I thought about using Flynn and Yuri, but they're kind of TOO awesome...I think they might have won the whole tournament...

I'm absurdly proud of the title of this chapter, which is also a pun. I love puns.

As always, thanks to reviewers, and to the readers as well! I'd love to hear from you!


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